Foreign
US Embassy Opens Up On Reasons Behind Reduction in Visa Validity For Nigerians
- /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 27
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Donald-Trump-1000x575.jpg&description=US Embassy Opens Up On Reasons Behind Reduction in Visa Validity For Nigerians', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
- Share
- Tweet /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/plugins/mvp-social-buttons/mvp-social-buttons.php on line 72
https://naijablitznews.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Donald-Trump-1000x575.jpg&description=US Embassy Opens Up On Reasons Behind Reduction in Visa Validity For Nigerians', 'pinterestShare', 'width=750,height=350'); return false;" title="Pin This Post">
The United States Mission in Nigeria on Friday debunked insinuations making the rounds that Washington’s recent decision to reduce visa validity for Nigerians was in retaliation for some actions of the Nigerian government.
The US embassy announced on Tuesday that it had reduced visa validity for non-immigrant Nigerian applicants from five years to three months, citing reciprocity for its action.
But in what appeared to be a u-turn Friday, the mission said it was not a reciprocal action but “part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.”
It said in a statement that speculations that the reduction in visa validity was “the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS” were untrue.
The statement said: “The U.S. Mission Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity for most nonimmigrant U.S. visas in Nigeria and other countries.
“This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS.
“The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.
“ We value our longstanding partnership with Nigeria and remain committed to working closely with the Nigerian public and government officials to help them meet those criteria and benchmarks, thereby ensuring safe, lawful, and mutually beneficial travel between our nations.”
Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar had said on Thursday that the US was “mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prison.”
He said Nigeria, with its own population of over 230 million, was not prepared to accept Venezuelan deportees.
He added:”It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelans prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own, we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud.”
He said Nigeria with a population of over 230 million was not prepared to accept Venezuelan deportees.
“It will be unfair for Nigeria to accept 300 Venezuelan deportees,” he said.
Instead, he said Nigeria was looking “to do deals with the US” because the country has a lot of gas, critical minerals and rare earths needed by American tech companies.
The Wall Street Journal quoted internal documents and sources as saying the Trump administration was pushing the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Mauritania, Gabon and Guinea-Bissau to accept migrants deported by the US whose home countries refuse them or are slow to take them back.
The newspaper says that, prior to their White House summit on Wednesday, the US government had already sent requests asking all five countries to accept migrants expelled from the US – a strategy the paper described as an “aggressive” overlap between the Trump administration’s deportation campaign and its foreign policy.”
Foreign
Georgia Mayor Fires Entire Police Force For Upsetting His Wife
The mayor of a small Georgia town has fired his entire police force for upsetting his wife.
Cohutta Mayor Ron Shinnick shut down the Cohutta Police Department and fired all 10 of its employees earlier this week after officers allegedly made “inappropriate comments” about his spouse on Facebook, WDEF reported.
“The PD has been dissolved, and all personnel have been terminated,” read a brutal sign on the department’s door first thing Wednesday.
“They’ll get a paycheck. We’re not that way, and I appreciate their service, okay? It is time for a change,” Shinnick said bluntly when asked about the controversy.
According to the New York Post, tensions boiled over late last month after several officers filed formal complaints alleging that the town’s former clerk, Pam Shinnick who is also the mayor’s wife continued working for the town despite being fired.
She was terminated last year for apparently creating a “hostile work environment” in the town of less than 1,000 people — but allegedly still had access to personal and classified information.
In the wake of the formal complaints, the mayor held a joint press conference with Police Chief Greg Fowler and town attorney Brian Rayburn to say they’d managed to resolve the dispute through “open dialogue and good-faith mediation.”
But roughly a week later, the cops were all fired anyway.
“This all comes to personal vendetta from the mayor and I wholeheartedly believe that,” said one of the axed officers, Sgt. Jeremy May, adding that they’d been assured their jobs weren’t in jeopardy for lodging complaints about the mayor’s wife.
“Official response from the town attorney: Nobody’s jobs are in jeopardy,” May said. “Here we are, less than a week later, nobody has a job.”
“We took a stand for transparency, and in result, every one of them has lost their jobs,” he added.
The mayor, for his part, blamed the conflict on “inappropriate comments” posted on Facebook by the officers.
For now, the fired officers have been ordered to return all department equipment.
The Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office is set to take over policing for the small town.
Foreign
Cause Of CNN Founder, Ted Turner’s Death Revealed
American entrepreneur cum founder of the Cable News Network (CNN), Ted Turner, has died at the age of 87.
Turner Enterprises announced the death in a press release issued on Wednesday, stating that Turner died after battling Lewy body dementia, a progressive brain disorder.
In a statement, CNN CEO and Chairman Mark Thompson, paying tribute to the deceased, described Turner as a committed leader.
Thompson said, “Ted was an intensely involved and committed leader, intrepid, fearless and always willing to back a hunch and trust his own judgement.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand, and we will all take a moment today to recognize him and his impact on our lives and the world.”
Robert Edward Turner III, born November 19, 1938, was an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor and philanthropist.
He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour cable news channel.
In addition, he founded WTBS, which pioneered the superstation concept in cable television, and TNT, a television network.
In 1991, Time named Turner its Man of the Year, citing his influence in transforming global television news and making viewers in over 150 countries “instant witnesses of history.”
Although he later sold his networks to Time Warner and eventually stepped away from the business, Turner continued to describe CNN as the “greatest achievement” of his life.
Foreign
Middleast war: Ceasefire deadline with Iran not over – Pentagon
U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Tuesday that the ceasefire with Iran was not over, even as the U.S. and Iran exchanged fire in the Gulf as they wrestled for control of the Strait of Hormuz.
Hegseth said the U.S. had successfully secured a path through the critical waterway and that hundreds of commercial ships were lining up to pass through, as Washington seeks to break a chokehold Iran has asserted on the Strait of Hormuz since the conflict began on February 28.
“We know the Iranians are embarrassed by this fact. They said they control the strait. They do not,” Hegseth told a Pentagon news conference.
The U.S. military says it sank six Iranian small boats and intercepted Iranian cruise missiles and drones, after President Donald Trump sent the navy to escort stranded tankers through the Strait of Hormuz in a day-old campaign he called “Project Freedom.”
Several merchant ships in the Gulf reported explosions or fires on Monday, the first day of the operation.
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Iran attacked Oman once on Monday and waged three attacks on the United Arab Emirates, before adding that, at least so far, “today is quieter.”
Caine said that since the ceasefire was announced on April 7, Iran had fired at commercial vessels nine times and seized two container ships. Iran has attacked U.S. forces more than 10 times, he added.
However, the attacks fell “below the threshold of restarting major combat operations at this point,” Caine told reporters.
Asked whether the ceasefire with Iran still held, Hegseth said: “No, the ceasefire is not over.”
“We said we would defend and defend aggressively, and we absolutely have. Iran knows that, and ultimately, the president can make a decision whether anything were to escalate into a violation of a ceasefire,” he said.
The operation is Trump’s latest effort to force an end to the disruption of international energy supplies caused by Iran’s blockade of the strait, which carried a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before the war.
The U.S. Navy is also enforcing a maritime blockade of Iran, which prevents ships from going to Iran or departing Iranian territory.
The two military operations seek to pressure Iran to strike a deal to end the conflict on Trump’s terms. But Iran has countered that there is no military solution to the crisis, and it has threatened to fight for as long as necessary.
The U.S. military said on Monday two U.S. merchant ships made it through the strait, with the support of Navy guided-missile destroyers.
Iran denied any crossings had taken place, though shipping company Maersk said the Alliance Fairfax, a U.S.-flagged ship, exited the Gulf under U.S. military escort on Monday.
Caine estimated 22,500 mariners embarked on more than 1,550 commercial vessels were stuck in the Gulf, unable to transit.
“CENTCOM, along with partner nations, is in active communication with hundreds of ships, shipping companies and insurers,” Hegseth said, referring to the U.S. military’s Central Command, which leads operations in the Middle East.
“All of these ships from all around the world want to get out of the Iranian trap that they have been stuck inside.”
[Reuters]
-
Entertainment20 hours agoAMVCA 2026: Full List Of Nominees, Winners, Categories As Nollywood Stars Storm Lagos
-
News19 hours agoNigeria qualify for FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup Poland 2026
-
News13 hours agoDon’t believe rumour mongers, Wike-backed PDP convention wasn’t nullified by Supreme Court – Olayinka clarifies
-
Metro20 hours agoVideo: Alleged Fake Prophet Publicly Humiliated Over Failure To Recite Celestial Hymns
-
Entertainment20 hours ago2026 AMVCA: Again, Lisabi wins Best Indigenous Language Film
-
News13 hours ago3 disabled persons nabbed for drug trafficking(Photos)
-
News20 hours agoNMA demands immediate release of kidnapped member, issues 48-hour ultimatum
-
News8 hours agoGalatasaray looking for player who can fill Osimhen’s big shoes

Warning: Undefined variable $user_ID in /home/naijuinz/public_html/wp-content/themes/zox-news/comments.php on line 49
You must be logged in to post a comment Login